If it pleases the lady
by CaptainOfTheRainbowShip
Summary: AU Princess Arizona is the next in line for the throne, but before she can be crowned queen, she needs to get married. This is the reason that her father, king Daniel, organizes a tournament. The winner shall have the princess' hand in marriage. All the nobility attends, but who is the mysterious warrior in the black armor? And where has her lover Eliza gone? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**A/N. So... new story, new possibilities. I'm really excited for this one. Anyway, onto the chapter!**

Princess Arizona was sat at her vanity, combing her shoulder-length blonde hair. Her father was the ruler of this realm, and she was first in line for the throne when her father would step down. Both of her younger sisters didn't want to be Queen, so Meredith and Jo had made it that their vile cousin Robert would ascend as King if Arizona was unable to rule.

While she sat pondering, one of her handmaidens came into her room. "Your Highness, the King has requested that you come to him immediately." The woman bowed and left the Princess' room again.

The blonde sighed and stood up, dusting of her dress. It wasn't stuffy and tight, thank the Goddess for that. Her father wanted her to be comfortable, and so Arizona was free to choose her own wardrobe. She always chose light summer dresses. She began a leisurely pace toward the throne room, not being too concerned with time.

When she walked into the room where her father sat on the throne, the King sent everybody away, though the guards stood on the other side of the now closed door. "Hi daddy." She said with a brilliant smile.

"Hello, my little princess." His battle-hardened face, softened up when talking to his oldest daughter. "We have to talk. Come, sit." He scooted over, so that the blonde could sit on the armrest of his throne.

She sat down, facing her father. "What is it daddy? You look concerned." The blonde traced the stress lines on her father's face, trying to get him to smile.

"Zona, my brother, your uncle, has been causing trouble again. He has found some ancient law, saying that a princess needs to get married before she can be crowned Queen. Now, I don't want to make you do something you don't want to. But, if you're not married to someone by Winter Solstice, I shall organise a tournament for your hand next summer."

The woman froze. What? She needed to get married to someone in four months? "Father, that's in just over four months. So, if I don't get married in four months, I will be forced to marry someone next summer?" her father nodded gravely at that.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but this is how it will be." The blonde stood up and went back to her chambers in a daze, when she arrived she called for one of her handmaidens. "Call for Lady Eliza, and leave once she is here." The maiden bowed her head and went to fetch Eliza. The blonde just sat on the edge of her bed, too deep in thoughts to hear someone enter her bedchamber.

"Zona, love. Are you alright?" She looked up at the silky voice of Eliza, but once she looked into those beautiful blue eyes, she burst out crying. The brunette was shocked, but held Arizona close, embracing the blonde tight.

"Liza, I-I have to get married next summer." The blonde choked out. "There will be a tournament, and I have to get married to the winner. I don't want to get married to some stranger. Please Liza, hold me." She looked at her lover, begging her to hold her close and love her. And the brunette did. She made love to Arizona, slow, full of love and passion. When they finished and the blonde was drifting off, Eliza kissed her forehead.

"I'll do anything for you, my love. I shall protect you against the entire realm." Had the blonde been awake, she would've known this was a goodbye.

 **|AR &EM|**

When the princess woke up, she was pleasantly sore. She stretched her aching limbs, and climbed out of bed to get bathed. She wasn't surprised that Eliza had left, the brunette was her secret lover, so they could not be seen together before they announced their relationship. She hoped that the brunette would agree to marriage, Eliza was the only one that she would ever consider marrying, at least then she would be married to someone she actually loved. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and started getting ready for a night in the tavern with her friends.

It was just past dusk when she got to the little-known tavern. It was owned and run by Richard, he was a friendly elderly man who made most of his profits from the young nobles. She walked into the tavern and sat down with her friends. They were a tight-knit group, it consisted of her sister princess Meredith with her husband prince Alex, her sister Jo with her intended Stephanie Edwards, who was the daughter of an important nobleman and Jackson and his husband Nathan. Nathan was Eliza's brother, and they were both children of the King's Right Hand, therefor they had high positions within the court and nobility. Nathan was the only one who knew of the relationship between his sister and princess Arizona, and he had been sworn to secrecy. Arizona's sisters and their partners were already there, so they were just waiting for Nathan and Jackson now.

They didn't have to wait long, Nathan stormed into the tavern with a murderous look on his face. "Tell me princess, where in the hell is she?" He growled out, his eyes were pitch black, the reason for that were his mage abilities. Mages were rare, but in the Minnick line all the males had been blessed with the gift of magic, that was why they had been the King's Right Hand for centuries.

"What are you talking about Nathan?" She asked him, genuinely confused.

"She left! When I came home all of her stuff had disappeared, only leaving a note to not look for her. WHERE IS SHE?!" He roared, his magic crackling around him. Jackson moved in front of him, trying to calm him down once he saw the devastated look on the princess' face. It took a while for it to work, but eventually Nathan returned to his normal self. Their group had questions of course, and Arizona knew she had to answer them.

"Eliza and I had always been close," she began. "we grew up together, we were each other's first kiss and each other's first time. We started being more than friends when we were fifteen, so we have been in a relationship for almost six years." Tears were beginning to fall down her cheeks, her friends were listening breathlessly.

"But because of the scandal that would come out if everybody knew that the princess and the Right Hand's daughter were together, we kept it quiet. Only Nathan knew, but that was because he caught us when we were sixteen." This was it, she was going to tell them about the tournament which was imminent now.

"This morning, father called for me, he said he had some big news. Robert and his father have been causing trouble again, this time they dug up some old law which said a princess needed to be married before she could become Queen. Father said he was giving me until winter Solstice to get married, but if I wasn't married by then, he would organise a tournament. The winner would get to marry me. I was going to ask Eliza to marry me, since we already love each other. That isn't a possibility any longer, so I have to get married to a stranger come this summer." The whole group was shell-shocked, and she saw Nathan looking at her with a look that was a mix of guilt and pity.

"So yeah, now you know the truth. Just… don't go and tell it to anyone, okay?"

Little did she know, that her lover had a plan. And that they wouldn't see each other for nearly an entire year.

 **A/N. I'm already in love with this storyline, I have it all written out. I hope you enjoyed, leave your thoughts in a Review. Captain sailing away in her rainbow ship.**


	2. Chapter 2

This was it, the blonde supposed, this was the beginning of the rest of her life. It was the day the tournament began, thus making it a year since she had seen her beloved. The blonde was too crushed and heartbroken to look for a potential partner, so she wasn't married when Winter Solstice came.

She became numb, her normally bubbly personality had disappeared, just like Eliza. She couldn't really blame the brunette. In all her hysterics, she hadn't told her she could get married to whoever she wanted before Winter Solstice. She just hoped that where ever her love went, that she was safe.

Her subjects had noticed the shift in personality, the clever ones linked it to the disappearance of the Right Hand's daughter, though the rumours had never spread.

She had resigned to her fate, she was going to be in a loveless marriage just so she could be crowned Queen. At first, she made it her sick to her stomach, but with time she started to get cold, clinical and she decided to just deal with it. Her father noticed it, but he chose to hold his tongue. It was probably for the best, if he asked about it she would revert to the little daddy's girl she was and would spill the beans about her past relationship with Eliza.

She sighed, her handmaidens gave her pitying looks. "Don't look at me like that, I don't need your pity. Just try and get me ready as soon as possible." She almost snapped at her handmaidens, but she decided the older women didn't need her bitching at them.

A couple of hours later, she was sitting on a throne, her father sitting on his own throne next to her. He stood up and looked at the crowd of nobility that had gathered from all corners of the realm, they were all hoping they could win princess Arizona's hand in marriage.

"Dear friends, I thank you for coming all this way to the capitol. It is an honour to have so many of you try and battle to win my daughter's affection. As you all know, she has promised to marry the victor of this competition. So bring forth your best warrior. I wish you all luck. Thank you." The crowd politely clapped and moved to the sides of the room so that the warriors could come forth and introduce themselves to the King and the princess.

The announcer stepped next to the door and rolled out his parchment, calling names one by one. Arizona didn't listen to the man, and she didn't pay attention to the men that were introducing themselves to her.

But then, something happened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, it was the response to a person of incredible power stepping up to the door.

"Commander Blackwell, leader of the Dark Crest forces." The announcer bellowed the name just as he had done with the others, but Arizona's interest was inexplicably piqued. Her father noticed his daughter's response to the warrior in the black armour. They were only one that head their faces covered. He decided to keep his eye on his heir, just to make sure she didn't do something rash.

The warrior walked up to the two thrones, and respectively bowed before the King and the princess. They didn't talk, which was strange, and after a couple of seconds they stood up again and left the same way they came. Arizona was starting to feel excited again, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

 **|AR &EM|**

The duels would begin shortly, they royals just had to one last thing before the competition could begin. Again, the King stood, regarding the audience. "In a few short minutes, the fights shall begin," The crowd cheered at that. "but before we do this, princess Arizona shall bless her favourite warrior, giving the warrior in question a token of her confidence." He motioned for the blonde to step forward.

The princess walked forward, Nathan in tow. Since he would be her Right Hand when she would be crowned Queen next Spring, he started going to official events with her, giving protection and providing advice. They were already in sync with each other, syncing happened when a monarch and their Right Hand trusted each other so much, that they let some part of their minds meld, making it that they could read each other's thoughts if they so whished. Their syncing was so fast, it had shocked all the experts in the subject. Nobody knew that it was because of their shared grief and love for Eliza, they heavily depended on the other for support during this difficult time in their lives.

The blonde walked to the row of warriors competing for her hand, and stopped just left of the centre. The black knight stood there, shoulders ram-rod straight, showing a perfect posture acquired from time and extensive training in the military.

Arizona grabbed the handkerchief from a little pocket in her summer dress. "I choose you, I hope you do well." She smiled at the warrior and tied the fabric around their wrist. Then, she turned around and walked back to her father, Nathan trailing her once again.

"Then let the competition begin!" The King roared when they were stood by his side once again. The crowd let out a deafening roar and stood up from their seats in the arena.

 **|AR &EM|**

Arizona hadn't been paying attention to the majority of the fights, just one from a warrior that everybody predicted would do very well, and the fight of her chosen Champion. The warrior clad in the black armour had the most elegant movements Arizona had ever seen in a knight. Instead of using a shield to block the incoming attacks, they had evaded them, and when their opponent had tired himself out, they attacked once. It was very effective, making the warrior from Dark Crest an immediate winner. The crowd went wild and Arizona blushed when the warrior walked up to the thrones and kneeled directly in front of her, touching the fabric tied around their wrist.

The blonde didn't know that this wouldn't be the last time that the mysterious warrior would make her blush.

 **A/N. Hi there! Hope you enjoyed, I'm really fricking excited about this fic. To the Spanish speaking guest reviewer: I think the story will be approximately 15 chapters long, just like my other fic, this can change though. If a chapter is too short, I let my imagination roam and I include things that were meant for future chapters, thus making a story shorter. Anyway! Captain sailing away.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. Hello there you lovely people! Just before we get started, I forgot to mention that this is a G!P story. Still, I don't write descriptive sex scenes so you're safe from my cringy written smut. But if G!P doesn't float your boat, don't read the story, and don't leave stupid reviews about it, you have been warned! Anyway, onto the chapter!**

The next week continued in the same fashion. The fights took place, and with all the warriors that were attending, it took 6 days for everyone to fight. The social happenings took place at night, but Arizona's chosen Champion had never attended any of the parties. The blonde was disappointed every time she didn't see the mysterious knight, that was until the sixth night. She was wandering around the halls, unable to catch sleep. She heard a masculine voice, so she peeked around the corner to see a big man talking to a feminine figure with a hood pulled over her head.

"You're distracted by her." The man accused. "If you're not completely focused, they'll cut you down Commander." Arizona felt the power coming from this woman, just like she had with her mysterious warrior. Was this the same person?

"While your opinion is appreciated, it wasn't asked for. I suggest you remember who you're talking to." The voice was gravely, rough. But Arizona still felt some kind of familiarity.

"I know who I'm talking to, thank you very much. You may be the Commander now, but I still remember the frail little girl that came to my house, begging me to teach her with fire in her eyes. Don't forget that I'm the whole reason you're here." The bearded man crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the woman, challenging her to speak against him.

"I'm sorry Blackwell, you're right. I'm just being my usual stubborn self again. It will not happen again, and thank you for being there for me in your own unusual way." The man nodded and gripped the woman's hand in a warrior's grip. After he released, he walked away.

"You can come out now." The woman spoke. Arizona cursed under her breath and moved from around the corner.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't really planning on running into you and your mentor. I just happened to be here? But just to sate my curiosity, you're my chosen right? I mean I feel the power emanating from you, but-" The woman raised her hand to interrupt the blonde.

"Yes princess, I am your chosen champion. There's no point in lying about it." Arizona felt the dark figure study her intently. She felt herself squirming, the scrutiny getting to her.

"Can I see your face?" She blurted out. She suddenly realised she was standing only feet away from her crush. Yes, she admitted she had a crush on her Champion. She really wanted to see her face and look into her eyes.

"No princess. You may not." With that, the woman turned around and went the same way as her mentor.

 **|AR &EM|**

The next day brought round two of the tournament. There were only sixteen competitors left after the first round, the others were sent to the stands to watch the fights from afar. But because half of the warriors were left, the tournament would speed up considerably. Today, there would be eight fights, the remaining eight were planned for tomorrow.

Princess Arizona was sat at her vanity again, her handmaidens were doing her make-up and hair. After they were done, one of them put a flower crown on her head. After that they bowed and left her chambers quietly.

She let out a big breath and stood up when someone knocked on her door. "Enter." She spoke loudly and clearly.

Nathan came in, closed the door and offered her his arm. "We have to talk, Arizona." They began walking towards the tunnel that gave them entrance to the arena. "Princess, I need you to listen to me closely and to not speak about this with anybody else." He looked over his shoulder to make sure there wasn't someone behind them. "There is something strange going on with the knight from Dark Crest. I know she is a woman, and this doesn't bother me, you know who I'm married to. But, her emotions and thoughts are completely locked down. This means that she has been trained in the mind arts by a mage since she was born, yet there hasn't been a mage in Dark Crest for over three hundred years." He stopped walking and looked Arizona in the eye. "She's not from there Princess, and I know you have the same feeling of familiarity as me when she is in the same room with us. Zona, I think Eliza has returned to us."

The blonde felt the words ringing in her ears. "Don't be daft Nathaniel, she isn't back. Now let's get to our places. Let us never speak of this again." She gave him a stern look, telling him to let it go. He nodded and they made their way to Arizona's throne. When they got there, Nathan bowed to her and sat down in his place.

Arizona's mind was swimming. She had said to Nathan that it wasn't a possibility that Eliza had returned, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense to the blonde. She had never felt like this with anyone except Eliza, and now she had a full-blown crush on the warrior that was favorited to win the entire tournament. Almost all of the fights went by without the blonde noticing again, but she did pay attention to the last fight, just so she could say she had seen some of it.

After dinner, she hadn't felt like partying, so she just bid her father and Nathan goodbye and began the trek to her chambers. She came around the corner and, just like the night before, came across her Champion. It didn't seem like the other woman had detected her presence yet. So the blond sneaked a little closer to the warrior, and she took some steadying breaths.

"Eliza?" she quietly asked. She saw the body in front of her freeze before slowly turning around. The knight's shoulders were tense, but she reached for her hood and pulled it down, revealing a beautiful but scarred face and electric blue eyes.

"Hello Arizona." She spoke slowly. It took the blond half a second to stride toward the brunette and slap her across the face before falling into her arms with loud sobs. Eliza just held the blonde in her arms, burying her face into those delicious smelling blonde locks.

"You idiot, had you just listened to me, I would've told that if we were to get married before Winter Solstice, there wouldn't even be a tournament. But no, Eliza decided she needed to be the tough guy and leave before there could be any real communication, you're a real asshole." She pulled out of Eliza's arms and wiped at her eyes. "But you're my asshole and I love you," She sighed quietly and looked at the brunette's stunned face. "If you ever leave again, I'll find you and I'll kick your ass." She took Eliza's hand in hers. "You better win this tournament, but for now, you're coming with me." She pulled the brunette with her to her chambers, planning to not let her go before she absolutely had to. When she came to her chambers, she motioned for Eliza to keep quiet and sent her handmaidens away with the instructions to only return when she called for them. When they were gone, she led Eliza to her bed and kissed her passionately before pushing her back on the bed.

"I've missed you so incredibly much," she kissed the warrior all over her neck. "I'll probably be mad with you for a couple of days, but for now please just love me." She whimpered the words, needing to feel beautiful and loved again, something that she hadn't felt since her love had left.

"We really need to talk after my fight tomorrow." The brunette moaned out, not having been intimate with someone since she left the blonde.

Arizona ground her knee in between Eliza's legs, but froze when she felt a bulge in the warrior's pants. "Eliza, what is that between your legs?"

The brunette turned red immediately and scrambled away from the blonde as if burned. "I guess I need to come clean with you."

The blonde looked at her concerned, not really bothered by the alteration to the brunette's body. "Go on, then." She spoke gently, and squeezed Eliza's hand softly.

"When I left knew exactly where I was going, I had heard of a mage warrior who had retired to become a smith. His name is Blackwell, you may have noticed I have taken on his name. He is also the man you saw me talking to the other day. He lives in a village in Dark Crest, and since everybody knew that Eliza Minnick, the Right Hand's daughter had disappeared, he made me change my last name to Blackwell. He practically adopted me that day, he almost sent me away, but I managed to convince him to take me in." she began to get seated more comfortably, not feeling as nervous anymore. "I had almost no muscle mass, I had lived a life full of privilege. Seeing the time frame he had to work with, he cut some corners and used rituals to get my strength up to par. It came with some unexpected side effects, as you may have felt." She tried to joke, but the blonde just raised her eyebrow at her. "After some research as to why it happened, we came to the conclusion it was because this ritual was meant for male warriors. It didn't bother me, so I just ignored it until now. Do you think I am a freak?" She asked in a small insecure voice, it reminded Arizona of the old Eliza.

"Of course I don't think you are a freak. I love you, it doesn't matter that you are a little different than when you left. But can you get me pregnant?" The brunette shook her head at that.

"We performed another ritual to prevent that, we need a mage to turn that back." They just looked at each other for a couple of intense minutes before Arizona surged forward and connected their lips again, this time they didn't stop.

 **A/N. Hope you enjoyed! If you did, leave a review! It makes me happy reading them. Okay? Okay! Captain, out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N. Well would you look at that? The Author's back! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

It was now the day of the finale, and Eliza was in Arizona's bed once again. The warrior had slept there since the two of them had been reunited. They were cuddled together between the sheets, both naked.

"I'm worried for you, you know?" the blonde's voice was soft as she traced little figures over Eliza's heart. "I mean, what if you lose tomorrow and you lose your life?"

the brunette just pulled her beloved closer to her body. "That won't happen, my love. I will succeed, and we will get married within the next year. And if I happen to die, I will try my hardest to come back to you in our next life, for we are soulmates, and you know that." The princess let out a content sigh and cuddled into the crook of Eliza's neck, thinking back to the previous days of battle.

 **|AR &EM|**

 _Arizona sat upon her outside throne, as she had done for the last couple of weeks. There were now only four warriors left contending for her hand, she had begun to worry for her lover. There was a warrior from the desert village that was nearly on the same skill level as Eliza, and that hadn't sat well with the blonde._

 _Her father tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the arena, where the next match was to begin. Eliza looked directly at her, through her helmet, and nodded at her and Nathan. She had told her brother about her true identity two days ago, at first the man had been mad at her, but pulled her into a big hug anyway. Their interactions were still a little bit strained, but the princess thought that it wouldn't last long._

 _Eliza had won the match easily, not breaking a sweat. She walked to the thrones and bowed, like she had done after every match that she had won. The blonde felt a pretty blush appear on her face and she smiled bashfully at the strong warrior, hoping she would come to her chambers after dinner._

 _ **|AR &EM|**_

 _She was sat in front of her vanity, wiping what little make-up she had worn, off. She heard the doors open and a few seconds later there were a pair of hands on her shoulders, lightly massaging the muscles there. She moaned quietly and leaned back against who she knew to be her lover. "Don't stop." She breathed out quietly._

 _She heard a chuckle behind her and whined a little when the contact was lost. She saw a hand reach for the hairbrush that laid on her vanity and she felt her hair being released from the intricate braid it had been in for the day. First, the brush did its work by getting all the knots out of her hair, but then there were those strong, dexterous fingers brushing through her hair, relaxing the blonde immensely._

 _After a little while, she began to feel drowsy, the stress of the day taking its toll on her. She was lifted into strong arms and put in her bed carefully. She felt she was being stripped naked, but she didn't really care, she knew that her beloved wouldn't take advantage of her. After a little while she noticed that Eliza had slid in the bed behind her, just as naked as the blonde was. She was spooned from behind and let out a small yawn, falling asleep immediately after that._

 __ **AR &EM|**

And now, they laid together after amazing morning sex. She had woken up to an amorous Eliza, and one thing led to another. But all good things must end, and Eliza had to go back to her own chambers to prepare for the finale. She gave the blonde one last kiss and said love-filled goodbyes.

Arizona sat upon her throne, her father was once again stood in front of the crowd. "My dear friends, the day of the finale is upon us. The victor shall have the privilege of marrying the princess, my beautiful daughter." He looked at Arizona with a gentle and somewhat apologetic look on his face, probably feeling guilty. "Let the warriors come forward!" he bellowed.

But what came next shocked everyone, including Arizona. The warrior form Dark Crest didn't have her helmet on this time, revealing who she was to everybody in attendance. The blonde could already her the whispering. "Do you see that? The Right Hand's daughter! Do you see the scar on her face?!" The princess swallowed heavily and felt the eyes of her sisters and friends on her, worried about her. She just smiled lovingly at the warrior and nodded her understanding. It was bound to happen in the near future, seeing as that they were probably getting married.

After everybody settled down and the King had given his daughter a calculating look, the fight began. It was easy to see that the warrior from the desert village hadn't shown his full potential, but then again, neither had Eliza. The battled was vicious, the male warrior often using a move that could kill a lesser opponent, but Eliza was very skilled, always moving out of the way. After nearly an hour of fighting, the brunette had gotten the man on his back. "Do you surrender?" she called out, anxious to get it over with, she was beginning to get fatigued. She saw the malicious grin on his face way before she felt the searing pain in her stomach. The asshole had another dagger hidden away, something that was against the rules of the tournament.

She fell on her knees, using her last strength to put a chokehold on the man, making him surrender at last. The last thing she saw was Arizona, as beautiful as an angel. This wasn't such a bad way to go, she thought.

 **|AR &EM|**

Arizona was hysterical, the woman she loved more than anything was lying on the ground, a pool of blood around the brunette. Nathan and Blackwell rushed forward, preparing their magic to heal the brunette warrior, they couldn't lose her. Feeling useless, Arizona turned around to the cheating warrior, grabbing the dagger that was still covered in Eliza's blood. She put it against his throat, her eyes blazing with her fury. "Tell me why I shouldn't end your pathetic little life, scum." She growled out. The man's eyes widened, not having thought the dainty little princess capable of aggression. The words could pass his lips, knowing that they would only make the princess angrier than she already was. "If she doesn't make it, I'll kill you myself." At that moment, the guards pulled him away from the murderous Royal.

Arizona turned back to the two men who were healing her beloved, hoping for good news. "She'll live, it won't take to long for her to wake up, so we should get her to her quarters." Blackwell spoke, relief and exhaustion clear in his voice.

"No," The blond spoke, "Take her to my chambers." Everybody just nodded, mindful of the ire that she had just inflicted upon the other warrior.

 **A/N. Hope you enjoyed, leave a review, they fuel me. Anyway, bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

The castle was eerily quiet, the halls were empty. Nobody dared to make a sound, too apprehensive of princess Arizona. The blonde was quick to agitate these last few days, the result of having to sit next to her lover's bedside without the brunette waking up. The time frame Nathan and Blackwell had given wasn't correct, it had been nearly three days since the warrior had been injured.

That didn't mean nothing had happened in the castle though. There were numerous ambassadors that had cried out in outrage, completely convinced that the entire tournament had been a set-up. There had been nonstop meetings, but king Daniel had decided that this one would be the last, he'd had enough. He and his Right Hand Tomas were sat at the head of the big table, trying to decipher what the ambassadors were shouting about. The king was sick and tired of all the shouting.

"Enough!" He roared over the incessant shouting, the assembled men all looked towards their monarch with wide eyes, reminded of the warrior he had been in his younger years. "If this tournament had been rigged, you only would have your own warriors to thank for it. They fought, I didn't." one of the more recently appointed ambassadors stood and looked at the king defiantly. "He lies! We shall have your head for this, our warrior should have been king!" The other ambassadors nearly gasped, no one disrespected the king, the fool had no idea what he had just done.

The man's eyes bulged and he began clawing at his throat. Everyone looked at the Right Hand, whose magic swirled in his hand and eyes. "Never mind the fact that your warrior was eliminated in the first round, no one speaks against our King that way. Next time I will most definitely end you where you stand, no mercy." The Right Hand released the man who had turned an ugly shade of purple from the lack of oxygen. The little display of power reminded everyone in the room of who the ones in charge were.  
"The warrior from Dark Crest has won fair and square, the one who should be frowned upon should be the warrior from the dessert clan. But since said clan have turned him over for me to judge, they shall escape with minimal punishment." The king looked every ambassador in the eye. "Do not take me for weak, and do not challenge me. I may be old, but I can still end every last one of you where you stand. Consider this your only warning. You are dismissed."

 **AR &EM**

Arizona nerves were frayed, she was anxiously waiting for her beloved to open those beautiful eyes again. She had long since given up on sitting on the chair next to the bed, instead she was cuddled into the brunette's side, needing the physical connection in fear of going insane otherwise. There had been a few visitors, Nathan and Blackwell being the most obvious ones. Eliza's father had yet to show up, it was something the blonde had pondered over when she wasn't worrying about her lover.

"You know," the blonde quietly spoke, hoping Eliza would hear her. "I wish we wouldn't need to have this big official wedding ceremony. I'd rather just marry you with our families as the only guests, out in a clearing in the forest." The blonde's hand rested upon Eliza's abdomen, gently circling the scar that resided there. "I'd also hoped for this big romantic proposal, you saying the cheesiest things imaginable and asking me to 'make you the happiest woman on earth'."

"I will." Came a rough, gravelly voice next to the blonde. Arizona shot up and looked at Eliza, who had her eyes squinted at the light that poured in through the window. "I will propose to you with a big ring, and we can get married in private, only to do the whole thing again on a much bigger scale for the public's eye."

The blonde's eyes began to water, relief flooding over her. "Oh thank God, you're awake!" She breathed out, immediately rushing to pull Eliza close to her. "I was so scared E, for a minute I thought you'd die because of me. I nearly killed the other warrior for hurting you." The brunette just pulled Arizona closer, comforting them both.

"I'll never leave you, not even death can keep me from being with you. I love you." The brunette spoke softly. The thought of the dainty little princess nearly killing a man almost twice her size amused her, but the sentiment behind it warmed her heart. "I appreciate the fact that you're cuddled into me, but I think I need to get out of bed. I need to see my father and brother."

Arizona nodded and helped her love up. "Just give me a moment to grab some clothes for you, I don't want anyone to see something that belongs to me." she nearly growled at the thought of some of the nobility gawking at Eliza and went to grab some clothes for the brunette to wear.

When the Eliza had drunk some water and had clothed herself, she offered the blonde her arm and they began making their way to the throne room, knowing that both their fathers would be there. When the guards saw them approach, they bowed respectfully and opened the doors. They saw the two powerful men in the room narrow their eyes at them, obviously not pleased with them.

"Leave us." The King spoke, voice deceptively calm.

"For how long has this been going on?" Daniel asked. Arizona glanced at Eliza who was in a heated staring contest with her father. Neither of them giving up. Eventually Tomas looked away, impressed with the power emanating from those electric blue eyes.

"Since we were fifteen years old." Eliza spoke when she turned her gaze to the King. "We were each other's first kiss and first times. And I will not have anyone tearing me away from her, I'd die first." The King nodded at her, clearly impressed with the level of commitment the 22-year old showed towards his daughter.

"Though I am not pleased with the fact that you haven't told us, I will not stand in the way of love. But, I must ask for the sake of Robert not becoming King. How will you produce an heir?"

The brunette looked towards the Right Hand before speaking, clearly worried that he wouldn't approve of her. "There wasn't enough time for me to build up the muscle mass needed for becoming a warrior that could fight for the princess' hand, so I had enhancing rituals bestowed upon me. They were only meant for male warriors and had some unforeseen effects on my anatomy. I can now bless Arizona with a child, the only thing we need to do for this to happen is to remove effects from the contraceptive ritual."

Tomas showed no signs of being disgusted, he looked quite proud actually. He smiled warmly towards his daughter.

"Now that is discussed, we need to make the announcement of your formal engagement. You can take your time to get reacquainted and have your own proposal, but we need to do this now, the crowds will lose interest otherwise, they have been waiting on the main square for the last three days." The couple nodded and made their way to the balcony with their fathers walking in front of them. Tomas waved his hand and the balcony doors opened.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Daniel began, his voice rang across the entire square. "I give you princess Arizona and her fiancée Eliza."

The couple came out of the shadows and the crowd went wild immediately, shouting and cheering for the royals, clearly excited for the wives-to-be.

 **A/N. Hi! It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I have enjoyed last episode. I was dying for some screen time for my favourite couple, and wasn't it glorious? My shipper heart needed some of that. Catch you next time!**


End file.
